Israeli police disperse Palestinian protest in Sheikh Jarrah

By Esat Firat and Mustafa Deveci

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli police on Sunday dispersed Palestinians protesting forced eviction from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem.

According to eye witnesses, a journalist was injured and several Palestinians were detained during the protest in Sheikh Jarrah.

Palestinians in recent days have protested in solidarity with residents of Sheikh Jarrah amid attacks by Israeli police.

The protests came as the Israeli Central Court in East Jerusalem approved a decision to evict seven Palestinian families from their homes in favor of Israeli settlers at the beginning of this year.

In a related incident on Sunday, Israeli police attacked Palestinian youths with stun grenades at the Damascus Gate in the Old City of East Jerusalem.

On Friday, at least 205 Palestinians were injured when Israeli police attempted to disperse worshippers inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound using stun grenades and gas bombs, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.